Machine for applying metal caps or closures to jars.



E. D. SGHMITT.

MACHINE FOB APPLYING METAL GAPS on GLOSUBES T0 JARS.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 23, 1908.

933,120. Patented Sept 7, 1909.

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933,120. Patented Sept. 7, 1909. v 2 nnnnnnnnnnnn 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD D. SCHMITT, OFBALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 1'0 FRANK G. TURNER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Sent. ,7, 1909.

Application filed January 23, 1908. Serial No. 412,284.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. SoHMrr'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Applying Metal Caps or Closures to Jars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for applying-metal caps or closures to jars, and more particularly to the sealing head for such machines.

The machine is designed to apply a hard metal flanged cap to a jar having an annu lar external bead or looking shoulder adjacent to its mouth, by crimping or indenting the flange of the cap at intervals into looking engagement with the bead or looking shoulder on the jar, below the medial line thereof.

A receptacle having a mouth as large as that of a fruit jar is likely to have considerable unevenness or irregularity occur in the formation of the neck and locking shoulder in manufacture, and one of the chief advantages of this invention is to provide a head whose lower end will have a yielding universal movement, which adapts it for au-- tomatic adjustment to any irregularities that may occur in the edge of the jar.

It is my object to provide a locking device for the cap wherein the parts will be independently and yieldingly movable, so that each will, in a sense, be capable of an independent movement for the purpose of conforming to any irregularities of the locking shoulder of the jar.

Another object of the invention is to provide a durable structure whereby the flange of the cap is, by the downward movement of the head or the upward movement of the jar, indented at intervals into locking engagement with the locking shoulder of the jar and to provide a simple construction comprising parts easily assembled and not likely to get out of order.

The invention resides in the construction of the head, and it is to be understood that it is immaterial to the invention whether the head is moved toward the jar support, or rest upon which the jar is held, or the support moved upward toward the head, when the latter is stationarily held, and it may be that the head and support be simultaneously moved toward each other, according to the style or type of the machine with which the head is used.

In the drawings illustrating the inven-' tion: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a head constructed inaccordance with my so invention, the mechanism of the head being in normal position; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the lower part of the plunger in section, showing also the top of a capped jar with the parts in about the position assumed at 5 the moment of locking the cap on the shoulder of the jar; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the locking ring.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the head casing, formed of an upper part 2 and a lower part 3.

The numeral 4 designates the plunger, comprising a stem 5, a ball 6 and a bearing end 7.

The upper part 2 of thecasing is pro- 5 vided with an annular seat or socket 7 in which the ball 6 rests, and bearing upon the upper rounded surface of the ball is a cross head 8 upon which bears the sealing spring 9, or the spring against which the 30 compressible sealing member or disk contained in the cap, is compressed in the sealing operation. The part 2 of the head has a flange 10 having an apron 11 which slightly overhangs the lower part 3 of the head, and 35 theflange 10 is provided at intervals with sockets 12 which come opposite sockets 13 in the lower part 3 and in each socket, I place a spiral spring 14, which under normal conditions are under some tension as will presently appear. In the drawings, it is only feasible in the views to show two of the springs 14, but it will be understood that they extend in circular arrangement entirely around the head, the number being such as to permit uniform lateral or yielding movement. v v

The lower universally movable part of the head casing is made in two parts, 14 and 1 5, the part 15 being threaded as indicated at. 16 to receive the threads on the upper part. The part 14 is provided with an annular channel 17, which, when the parts are assembled, forms a continuation of a shallow annular shoulder 18, thus formin a continuous annular seat for the rounde upper ends- 19 of the sections 20, of the locking ring 21. These sections are preferably segmental in form, and when grouped together or assembled, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, form a continuous ring, whose individual sections are independently movable, so that in operation, shouldan irregularity occur in the jar mouth, it will be automatically conformed to, without danger of breaking the receptacle. Each section is provided with two transverse grooves 22 which, when the sections are assembled, register with each other, thus forming continuous annular grooves, in which I place split spring rings 23 exerting a constant tendency to keep the parts of the ring firmly bound together under normal conditlons, but which wil obviously permit the rin to be expanded upon the application 0 a force at their lower ends having this expanding tendency. Each section of the locking ring is provided with a seal indenting point 24, preferably somewhat narrower than the body of the section so as to indent the flange of the cap or seal at desired intervals.

The numeral 25 designates a spiral spr' which surounds the plunger stem 5 8 3 bears at its upper end agalnst the part 14 and at its lower end against the bearing end 7 of the plunger. The plunger head or bearing end is formed with an inclined or bevel lateral surface 26 which, when the plunger moves upward, rides against the ends of the indenting oints of the sections of the locking-ring}, orcing them simultaneously outward, t e individual sections swinging or turning in their bearings at their u per ends. This outward movement is obvious y against the influence of the springs 23, which tend at all times to keep the lower ends of the sections rocked inward. The lower edge of the plunger head normally seats upon a shoulder 27 in the art 3. This bearing end or plunger head is so recessed or hollowed out, that an annular shoulder 28 is formed which, in the sealing operation bears upon the margin of the cap adjacent to its edge and just above the sealing member. The spring 25 acts to raise the lower casing part 3 against the combined influence of all of the springs 14 and the combined strength of these springs is such that the upper and lower casing parts will be spaced apart as indicated at 29, the space being suflicient to permit of a universal movement of the lower head part, it being sus nded upon the plunger.

- ile I have shown and described split spring rings for holdin the lockin -r1ng sections to ther, it will In understo that any suitab e means, possessin the r uired strength and elasticity, may for said rin In operation, when the jar with the unlocked cap thereon engages the head or bearing end of the lunger, it will be forced upsubstituted ward against t e pressure of'the spring 9.

During this movement, thebeveled part 26 of the plun r head will ride against the indenting en s of the sections of the locking ring and force them laterallyoutwa-rd, the

sections individually swinging in their seats or bearings at their upper ends. When the plunger has passed sufficiently high or when it has passed the indenting points or reached the position shown in Fig. 2, the springs 23 will force the sections simultaneously inward, where they en age the flange of the cap or seal at interva indentin or crim ing it into lockin engagement with the loc ing shoulder of t e'jar. I The withdrawal of the capped jar, either by the upward movement 0 the head or the downward movement of the jar, as the case may be, permits the strong sealin spring 9 to return the plungerto norma position and in coming to this position, the lower beveled edge 27 of the plunger or the bearing end thereof engages the bev'el surface a of the locking sections and forces them outward to the posi-' tion shown in Fi 1.

It will be noted that the radius of the uper part of the ball 6 is difierent from the ower part. This presents a flatter upper surface, so that the pressure of the cross head 8 will be exerted upon the plunger and distributed over the upper art of the surface of the ball to keep it a ways in vertical position, or quickly bring it to vertical position when the parts resume normal position, after the sealing operation.

In the drawings, the dimensions of the head adapt it for applying a large cap to a jar, but it will be understood that the head may be smaller to adapt it for applying flanged caps to bottles or receptacles having com aratively small mouths.

C aims.

1. In a machine for applying caps to jars, etc., the combination of upper and lower sections of a sealing-head, the lower section being yieldingly connected to the upper section, a plunger connected to said upper sec tion by a universal connection or joint, means exerting a pressure upon said pluner, and seal-locking devices carried by the ower section of the sealing-head. 2. In a machine for applying caps to jars, etc., the combination of u per and lower sections of a sealing-head,-t e lower section being so connected to the upper section that it will have a universally-yielding movement, a plunger connected to the upper section by a universal connection or oint, a sealing-spring arranged to exert a pressure upon the plunger and devices carried by the lower section for efiecting the sealing of the cap.

3. In a machine for applying ca s to jars, etc., the combination of upper and ower sections of a sealing-head, the lower section being yieldingly-connected to the upper section, a plunger connected to said upper section by a universal-joint, a sealin spring ar ranged to exert a pressure upon t e plunger,

a sectionally-formed locking-ring carried by the lower section, and means for exerting a constant pressure upon said locking-ring.

4. In a machine for applying caps to jars, etc., the combination of upper and lower sections of a sealing-head, the lower section being so connected to the upper sectionthat it will have a universally-yielding movement, a spring-pressed plunger connected to the upper section by a universal joint, a lock ing-ring composed of a plurality of sections rockably-mounted in the lower section, said sections being provided with indentingpoints and means normally holding the ringsections with an inward pressure, said means being adaptedto yield upon the forced entry of the jar or bottle-head into the sectional rm In a machine for applying caps, to jars, etc., the combination of a two-part sealinghead, a plunger connected to the upper part by auniversal-joint, a locking-ring composed of a plurality of sections rockablymounted in the lower part and provided with indenting-points, means carried by the plunger for forcing the lower ends of said sections outwardly, when said plunger is forced upwardly within the locking-ring sections, and means for forcing said sections yieldingly inward after the plunger has passed the indenting-points, whereby said points are caused to engage and indent the flange of a seal or cap upon the lockingshoulder of a jar or other vessel.

6. In a machine for a plying jar closures, in combination, a head having a sealing spring therein, a plunger working against the sealing spring and havinga bearing end adapted to seat a seal upon t e top of a jar or like receptacle, said head having a lower portion suspended upon the plunger and capable of universal movement with relation to the upper part of the head, yieldin means interposed between the upper an lower parts of the head, whereby the universal movement of the lower part of the head is made yielding, and seal locking devices carried in the lower head part ada ted to operate upon the flange of a cap to orce it into locking engagement with the lockin shoulder of a rece tacle upon the upward movement of the p unger.

7. In a machine for applying closures tojars or like receptacles, 1n combination, a sealing head having an upper part containing a sealing spring, a plunger whose upward movement is against the resistance of said sprin said plun er having a ball at its upper en and a soc et in the upper head part in which the ball rests whereby the plunger is capable of universal lateral movement, a lower head part suspended from the upper head part, sald lower part being also capable of a universal movement, springs interposed between the upper and lower head parts, whereby the universal movement of the lower plunger art is made yieldin seal lockin devices within the lower hea part and a apted upon the u ward movement of the plunger to lock the ange of a cap into locking engagement with the locking shoulder on the jar or like receptacle, a sprin within the lower head part exerting a ten ency to ralse said part against the interposed spring; between t e upper and lower parts. 8. a machine of the character described,

in combination, a sealing head, comprising an upper part having a sealing spring and a universally movable lower part suspended from the upppr part, and seal locking devices carrie y t e lower part.

9. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a sealing head comprising an upper part containing a sealing sprin a universally movable lower part suspen ed from the u per part, seal ocking evices carried by tile lower part and a plunger having a bearing end adapted to seat the cap upon the jar in the sea in operation.

10. In a machine of t e character described, in combination, a sealing head comprising an upper part having a sealing spring therein, a universally movable lower art sus ended from the upper part, seal lbcking evices carried by the lower part springs interposed between the up r and lower arts, whereby the universa movement 0? the lower part is made yielding.

11. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a sealing head comprising an upper part having a sealing spring therein, a plunger havin a bearing in said upper part, a universa y movable lower part surrounding the lower part of the plunger, locking devices carried by the lower portion of the head and a spring whereby the lower portion of said head is yieldingly sus ended from the up er portion, and yie din means interposed between the upper an lowerportions of the head, whereby the universal movement of the lower part is made yielding in the sealing operation.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

EDWARD D. SOHMITT.

Witnesses:

TITIAN W. JOHNSON, HOWARD D. ADAMS. 

